


Overcoming Blood

by Echo0112358



Category: One Piece
Genre: ASL Brothers, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Akuma no Mi | Devil Fruit, Different Devil Fruit Monkey D. Luffy, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Drama, Family Feels, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Other, World Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:41:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29388570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Echo0112358/pseuds/Echo0112358
Summary: What if not only Ace was the son of the Late Pirate King, but Luffy was as well? What if Sabo was the son of the Great Revolutionary Dragon? A twist on the original tale that will have the ASL brothers heading out on their adventures much earlier than anticipated, and facing trials they could scarcely imagine. Can they move out of their parent's shadows, and make a name all their own?*FINALLY bringing my fic over from FFN, going to revive this one :)*
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace, Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace & Sabo, Monkey D. Luffy & Sabo, Portgas D. Ace & Sabo
Comments: 6
Kudos: 46





	1. Prologue

A world ruled by blood.

They say that blood runs deep, or that it is thicker than water. In this particular world, these principles are the very foundation from which society functions. In this setting, blood, is supposedly the deciding factor; this substance, too many people, is allowed to dictate one’s whole existence, their essence, their being. Though some believe that the soul of a person is the true determining factor of someone’s character, many others are simply too close minded for such ideologies. 

Blood determines birth.

Birth determines status.

Status determines quality of life.

Quality of life determines who you are in this world, and most importantly, who you are not.

These mantras have, in truth, taken root deep in the hearts of those who believe them true. Marines use them to justify their “Ultimate Justice”. The World Government, has them to support their holds on other countries, and factions. The World Nobles most of all hold these four principles to simply prove their superiority over others, and subdue all those who they believe to be beneath them. For one born to a high ranking family, blood is a gift. For someone born in the slums, it is a curse. In this world of strictly black and white, good and evil, blood can both bless and condemn someone. There, most simply, only two things, right and wrong. The shadow a parent can cast simply by association can be hard move out from under.

This is not a story about the common preconceptions of “good” triumphing over a predetermined “evil”, or a story of traditional proportions; this is a story about three people darkened by the hulking figures of their ancestors, and a struggle to overcome societal viewpoints of their forefather’s legacies. Can these brothers prove that the sins of the father are truly not the sins of the son, or will the flow of time drag them down the same way it did their parents? Can they overcome the effects of this world, ruled by blood?


	2. Forecast

\----ACE-----

It had rained that day.

Contrary to popular belief, the day the Great Pirate King was executed, it rained. 

On this same day, the second son of Gold Roger was born. A life for a life.

Even now, that is what struck Ace the most. Just as his mother had died to bring him into the world, that the same would happen to his little brother; that he would lose a parent on the day of his birth. 

He had begun his existence as the son of the notorious pirate monarch just three years prior to that same man’s demise. Ace could just barely remember his father’s face in the fleeting memories of his infancy, the face of the man who conquered the seas; he who beckoned in the New Age of Piracy. What he wouldn’t give for it to have been someone else’s face staring back at him in those remembrances.

He never knew what happened to Luffy’s mother; whisked away perhaps by her family, or simply eliminated for spawning a “demon child”. Ace could never be certain.

Soon after the execution, a man by the title of Monkey D. Garp came and took Luffy and himself away from the village they had been housed; supposedly this was a favor to the now deceased King. The old geezer dumped them off, an infant and barely three year old, off at a shack in the middle of the woods run by a clan of bandits. Yeah, bandits… Totally qualified caregivers… At least that Shitty Gramps would visit sporadically when he had time to take leave, not that Ace wanted that old timer anywhere near him. 

His first word was one of the most important, his brother’s name; well he could only really pronounce the first syllable, so for the most part Ace called him “Lu”, simpler that way. Even at such a young age, he knew that the only thing that mattered was protecting little Luffy, and nothing else. But he only really came to this epiphany a couple of years later when he overheard the bandits talking about the rumors of the King having children; he thanked any god who was listening that they didn’t know of his and Lu’s true parentage. He would rather die than let that secret get out. No question.

The day he heard those words in the other room he looked up at the sky.

It rained.

\----LUFFY----

It had been clear that day.

Not a cloud could be seen the day he met the man who would go on to shift the course in which his very life was headed. 

He had sneaked away from the hideout and Ace after he fell asleep in a bout of his occasional narcoleptic episodes. Luffy was rarely ever let out of his sight let alone to go down to the village, too bad he had other plans. Truly, he could understand his big brother’s concern, what with their father, but he believed he was strong enough to beat anyone. Anyone. 

Whenever he could, he would always make secret trips down the side of the mountain to rendezvous with the nice lady who worked ate the local bar, who he so happened to befriend. And what’s more, she gave him free food. FREE MEAT. Luffy strongly believed, in his little seven year old brain, that free food should never be turned down, let alone free meat. Ever. It was simply unthinkable.

On this particular day however, something was different. As he wandered down the road he could see a large gathering of townsfolk near the docks, all seeming to be fixated on the new ship currently docked in the harbor. But he could really care less about the ship, all that Luffy saw was the flag hanging above the crow’s nest. A skull and crossbones with three slashes over the left eye socket. Pirates. Real pirates. A sense of pure joy filled his chest. He was actually going to meet pirates! As he got closer to the crowd, raucous laughter could be heard from a distance. His smile got even bigger.

When the group of villagers finally dispersed, Luffy got his first glimpse of the crew which was currently headed straight towards the bar. Without them even noticing he quickly followed behind the jovial group of seafarers. 

Stepping through the great double doors, he was met with a better sight than he could have ever imagined. Deep, throaty laughs permeated the air, and the smell of alcohol was thick. At his arrival, the only man sitting at the bar turned to him, vibrant red hair flashing as he shifted; the eyes of the seasoned pirate meeting the eyes of the next Pirate King. This man had a smile which could rival Luffy’s own. From that moment he simply knew, that he and this man would be great friends. 

He broke the connection just briefly to glance out the window.

It had been clear that day.

\----SABO----

It had been snowing that day.

The snow, already several inches deep prevented him from moving any faster than a snail’s pace as Sabo desperately trekked through the mountainous woods.  
His heart beat was erratic in his chest, doing twists and turns all throughout his chest cavity. What an idiot he was. He should have known the moment that he spoke of that matter to anyone, he would be discovered; even in the most trusted of confidants. Truly stupid.

Sabo had been walking for what felt like hours, and that bloody snow had yet to cease. But in a way he was thankful for it, for the frozen crystals were able to cover his small tracks. Suddenly he was ground to an abrupt stop by a deep coughing fit that lasted at least a minute, crouched in a doubled over position. Finally after that let up he was able to begin his march again. 

He would have doubled back to create separate trails so that in the case of someone tracking him so they would hopefully be rather confused, but the matter was currently much more pressing for that. He had been searching for the village that was supposedly on the other side of the mountain, though he himself had never been, where he hoped there would be a doctor. 

Pausing momentarily, he lifted his gloved hand from the area bellow his ribcage revealing the dark stain of blood across his fingertips and coats. He silently swore as another shudder of pain rippled through his body. He didn’t know how much time he had left, the cold was beginning to get to him as well as the blood loss. Letting out another shuddering breath Sabo continued on at his slow speed praying to all that was holy, that he would be able to find this town before it was too late. 

After several more minutes his vision began to blur. Damn it, he thought as he attempted a few more jerky steps forward, only for his knees to buckle under him. He didn’t even have time to catch himself before his face hit the ground. There he lay for who knows how long, slowly drifting towards unconsciousness; Sabo began to resign himself to his impending fate. Off in the distance he could faintly hear shouts as the world began to fade, though probably just figments of the imagination. Not that he cared, for all that he saw was the crimson slowly spreading across the white covered earth. The true color of death. 

It was also on this day and time that the snow had ceased to fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I've been going through old drafts/fics, and decided to bring this unfinished work over from FFN (also under Echo0112358). I've been thinking of continuing it, so any thoughts, comments, ideas would be great! Should I continue? I already have a few chapters down
> 
> \- Peace :)


	3. Awakening

\----ACE----

The room, after several long minutes, had finally begun to quiet down. When Luffy had returned from one of his “walks” through the forest, Ace had been planning on scolding him for leaving the hut without himself, but the sight of his little brother dragging a bloodied and unconscious form through the front door stopped him cold. It took his brain several seconds to register the scene he was seeing. Luffy. An unknown person. Blood. His little Lu covered in blood. 

Snapping back to his senses, he ran forward and frantically checked Luffy for any wounds, fearing he had somehow also been injured along with the blond. Ace could barely make out what he was saying through the gibberish and ragged breaths, but from what he could glean, Luffy had found the kid already injured on his way through the glade, and decided to bring him back. It took some extreme self-control for Ace not to scream at his little brother for practically scaring him to death, but the body in front of him was much more important at that moment. Upon closer inspection the kid, probably around his own age, he looked to have several small lacerations and bruises across his face, and a profusely bleeding gunshot wound to his lower abdomen. 

After seeing this, he knew there wouldn’t be much he could do personally to help the kid. Making a decision, he hurriedly ran into the other room to wake up Dadan and the other bandits, who had probably already heard the ruckus near the front door, now yelling, “wake up you old hag! We could really use your help in here!” 

Clearly this was more than enough to get a crowd of cranky and tired bandits where he needed them to be. A lot of angry moans and groans were silenced when they also saw the sight Ace had just come upon. Per Dadan’s instructions and moderately quick thinking, not that Ace believed she could think much in the first place, they were able to get the new arrival out of Luffy’s death grip and sufficiently patched up for the time being. All while this was occurring Ace was over by his brother trying to calm him down. It wasn’t that he had never seen blood, I mean they hunt nearly every day, but he believed that Luffy seeing so much blood on a kid that looked to be Ace’s age, it probably gave him a rather large shock considering that could have been his older brother.

He was finally able to coax Luffy into a fitful sleep, seeing him unconsciously grip and ungrasp the straw hat he was holding against his chest; this being the same hat he had received several weeks prior from the man Ace could barely get his brother to shut up about. He was about ready to storm out one day and kill that red headed bastard when Lu had come home with a bandage under his eye that covered a large crescent shaped gouge from a knife, but calmly and in a happy tone Luffy had told him that he had done it to himself. That explanation did not in any way quench his fury, it only shifted it to the seven year old idiot. Let’s just say that little Luffy now had a large bruise on his forehead to accompany his new scar, if only temporary.

Now, leaning with his shoulder on the door frame Ace’s eyes scanned the unconscious body currently inhabiting a space on their floor. The kid had short blond hair and a rather round face, but as his eyes slid down he couldn’t help the frown that spread across his features. Though the coat the blond had on was opened to reveal the bandages wrapped around his ribcage and lower extremities, the detailing in said coat and the designer pants along with the top had that had been found with him all pointed to one thing: this kid, however he got this way, was a noble. If there was one thing he hated with almost as much passion as hearing his father’s namesake, it was nobles; the fact that a young noble would be in such a state could only mean trouble for himself and Luffy. Trouble he wasn’t sure he wanted to handle with the chance of their secret getting out. 

So, there Ace waited in silence for the little noble to wake up, and he would determine what to do from there. 

\----Sabo----

_Burning. All Sabo could feel was the intense burning pain racing up and down his frame, even in his semi-cognitive state. ‘Am I dead’, he thought, ‘no, I don’t believe I am. If I was I’m sure Hell would be a lot hotter than this’. Insert internal mind chuckle here. In his haze he thought back to the past week, and the events leading up to his ill-advised confession. A truly stupid decision on his part the more and more he thought about it, but to be fair he truly believed with all of his heart that his closet and lifelong friend could have been trusteed by now with his darkest and most well-kept secret. But boy was he wrong, the second he had divulged it and laid his heart out on his sleeve, the little traitor decided to drive a knife right through it by telling practically the first person he could find. Bastard. Maybe that’s how he was miraculously alive, maybe they had found him, if they hadn’t they would discover he wasn’t already dead and come after him anyway. ‘Lose lose if you ask me…’_

_He had been warned numerous times about the near certainty of this exact situation happening by the strange person who would visit on orders from THAT man. But, being the ten year old that he was, he bet all his cards on the flimsy ties of supposed trust, and lost. Not that he could blame his ex-friend, ‘if the positions were reversed I probably would have done the exact same thing, I mean who wouldn’t’, he groggily thought as he desperately began to try to pull himself out of his unconscious state. Sabo wasn’t very successful, it was as if something had a hold on his mind, forcing him to stay in the dark._

‘Hey, you!’

_‘Yeah you, that sad excuse for a human being’, silently Sabo let out a shudder._

_‘You deserve this, you deserve to be here, you don’t deserve to wake up and see the sky again, or to be what you want most: to be free’ a dark and fickle part of himself thought, laughing. The part of him that truly believed those words, the part that deep down knew that they were the cold hard truth. Sabo quickly pushed that part of himself back into the far recesses of his mind scape. ‘To be free’, those three words were just the fuel he needed to drag himself out of the darkness and back into the world of light._  
…  
Slowly, letting out a barely audible groan of discomfort Sabo cracked open his eyes to observe his new surroundings. Carefully trying to push himself up with his shaking arms, and was only semi-successful. Drinking in his new surroundings as his gaze drifted all across the room, he noticed that someone had done him the courtesy of patching him up. _How sweet of them_. Sabo appeared too sprawled out on the floor of some sort of wooden shack. _Oh joy!_

It wasn’t for several more moments until he noticed a young figure standing in the open doorway; this quickly prompted Sabo to stiffen, ready for whatever this person may have in store, even though he did have a rather large hole currently in his stomach region. Worry about that later, first figure out if this kid is a friend or foe. Hesitantly he met the dark gaze of the freckled child, and what he saw he didn’t like, cold, pure, hatred. The first words to come out of the menacing kid struck him so hard he almost flinched. Almost.

“So Blondie, care to tell me how you ended up bloody, and half dead in my little brother’s arms? I’m curious”, that gaze was everything but curious. 

Well shit.

\----???----

“Yes, yes, I will have someone right on it.”

Click.

The sound of fast footsteps could be heard accompanied by the swift opening of a door. The steps ground to an abrupt stop.

“Sir, I have just received word about a certain incident pertaining to THAT island.”

The man behind the desk stiffened and turned, his full attention now focused on the man in front of him. “Tell me every word”, he uttered, and so he heard every word. He did not like what he heard. Several long curses were spoken. 

“Leave me!” The man then commanded. All of the possibilities flashed through his mind. There was no way this would go unnoticed, it was now past the point of no return. The day he had hoped would never come. 

Another shudder.

A tightly clenched fist.

“So now they will finally be found”.

Words spoken to an empty room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter brought over! Hope y'all like it! Any comments would be lovely :)
> 
> New chapters in the works 
> 
> \- Peace


	4. Explanations

-SABO-

He froze.

Well not literally, but with the strange cold front coming in and the horridly insulated house in which was he currently residing, it wasn't too far of a stretch. This freckled kid in front of him looked ready for murder. Not just a figure of speech, judging by the long metal pipe tucked under his right shoulder.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Breathe. It was rather disorienting waking from a painful and near comatose slumber, and to immediately be bombarded by such a glare. It unnerved him. Not that Sabo would ever show it, let alone admit to it. He needed to think of the appropriate response which would best suit the situation, but like the damn unpredictable thing it was, his mind was running a blank. True, he remembered hearing shouts before he passed out, but he knew nothing about some little brother; though that was most likely the mode of transport that brought him to this _palace_.

_I mean hell_ , he thought frantically, _this person could be thinking I had tried to harm his brother_. _Shit_. Sabo knew he had to come up with a good plan of action, yet the long and strenuous stretch of silence seemed to have expired.

"I, um," his voice came out faint and parched, almost hurting to breath, "Have you any water? Then I can maybe answer your questions, I suppose it is the least I can do to repay you for patching me up." He tried to speak with the most formality he could muster, but his voice kept cracking and halting throughout his miniature speech. _Have you any water? Oh god, what a stupid thing to ask to the person who could be quite possibly holding you hostage, but at least if he accepts, it will have bought me some time to think of an answer along with a possible way to exit this situation entirely._

A long period of silence followed that last request, and for a moment Sabo thought the boy was going to refuse. He could barely contain his relief when the kid gave a very ridged and curt nod, for which he assumed was meant as an agreement to the terms. Slowly, with his eyes never leaving Sabo, Freckles left the room.

Relief. At least the other kid was a reasonable fellow.

When people say the tension is so thick that it could be cut with a knife, they really aren't kidding.

Sighing heavily as the tension began to dissipate, he considered what he should reveal to this complete stranger. On the one hand if he tells the truth he could end up with the exact same result as the last time he had done so, not that he believed that the other boy would accept anything less than the truth; Sabo somehow knew that lying would probably be the worst possible thing to do at the current time. But on the other hand, maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't go and out him to the masses; maybe he would be a sympathizer like the couple he had been housed with for the past ten years, and if clothing and demeanor were anything to go by that kid was most certainly not a noble. _I mean what do I have to lose? They already know I exist now and will soon come to find I am most certainly not dead in a ditch by now, and even if I could somehow get a message to THAT man before others come for me, it will be too late. This kid can't possibly be living here by himself, so there is a small possibility of whoever he is housing with will be able to help with my plight. All right new plan: tell the truth but keep the details vague and minimal, but never bring up THAT man's name, at least not yet. Let's hope that's enough._

Sabo was ripped from his deep thoughts as a murky glass of water was shoved in his face.

"Drink." The dark haired boy said, in that same cold and commanding voice he had been using before. _This going to go so south, I can see it now,_ he thought. As the tank top clad, even though it was winter, boy retreated to the other side of the room, Sabo tentatively drank the liquid he had been given, not forgetting the feeling of those grey eyes watching his every move.

His throat felt immensely better after that hydration, after which he sat in silence.

Waiting.

Damn, this silence was nauseating.

Finally, after a sufficient amount of sizing up between the two, the ominous kid spoke again.

A single word.

"Talk."

-ACE-

He didn't know what to make of this kid.

He had been expecting protest upon his request for an explanation or inquires as to where he was, this being what he expected a regular noble brat to ask. Ace hadn't been expecting the reaction he had been given.

An agreement.

What a strange choice from a person in his position.

Now, as he watched the boy contemplate what he was going to tell Ace, he couldn't help but feel reassured in a peculiar sense. Somehow he just knew that Blondie hadn't tried to hurt Luffy, so he internally relaxed just a little, but kept his outside defenses up just in case his gut was on the off chance wrong. Several long seconds passed, and soon the kid seemed to have collected himself enough and began to open his mouth to speak.

"While I do not remember your brother taking me to this place, I would first like to thank you for the assistance all the same." Yep, spoken like a true born noble, but Ace's confusion just intensified by the kid's past actions.

Without saying anything, he simply let out a small grunt, prompting the other to continue.

"I live, lived, with a family of nobles up in High Town in the Goa Kingdom, and until just recently, with no troubles to call for." He paused, probably deciding on what to say next. But the wording of that past sentence caught Ace's attention, 'I lived with a family of nobles', and not 'I am a part of a noble family'. Strange indeed.

Another long pause could be felt.

The cold wind could be sensed through the cracks in the wood paneling.

That sound filled the void.

"I was living with them because my biological father couldn't care for me because his current, um, job wouldn't allow for it," All the surety and confidence had left his voice, now coming out shaky and uncertain, "he, let's just say isn't the purest of men. A criminal in truth, and I am told he didn't want me to be persecuted because of who he was, so he trusted me to a family of noble sympathizers to his cause within the city. You know, the whole hide in plain sight principle and all that." Pause.

Now Ace was almost dreading what was going to next come out of this kid's mouth. His story was the near carbon copy of himself and Lu's. _Shit_. He could tell where this was going, and to his surprise a large flush anger began to well up inside of his chest. This random kid he had just happened upon was in the exact same shitty boat him and his brother were in. _Shit_.

"One of the people he works with checks in from time to time so that I at least know he isn't dead yet. Not that I remember the man, I don't believe I have ever even met him. But, just recently I made the stupid choice of telling my closest friend the truth, and he betrayed my trust by going and telling nearly the whole town. There was nothing my step parents could do. I made a run for it. I was met at the gates by a large gathering of town guards who I was barely able to escape from after a fight broke out."

"Good thing my absent father, from wherever he is, decided one of his coworkers should give me self defense training. But one of the bastards still standing got in a lucky shot," Blondie gestured towards his bandages, "The idiot probably thought I would die from the blood loss, and that is why I think they didn't immediately follow after me. But soon when they don't find a body, they will come to realize that I am very much alive. I was heading through the forest because I had heard there was a village not far away, but with the snow and the blood, I passed out before I could find it. Then I woke up here."

More unwanted silence.

It took Ace a while to process all of the new information he had just received. Immediately he felt a small yearning kinship with this kid. From what he could guess, the boy struggled with the same need to hide the very truth about who he really was, in the same way that Ace did. He wanted to help, he actually did, but one blaring factor arose that made him reconsider that. If this kid truly had a parent notorious enough that his child would be hunted for it, then that meant that if and when those guards discover he really isn't dead they'll call for reinforcements; the Government. The Marines. And the trail to him would lead right back to this very building, to Ace and Luffy, quite possibly to finding the two sons of the Pirate King.

Ever so slightly, he let his face soften, meeting the bright blue gaze of the blonde, letting the other know that he accepted that explanation. Azure eyes widened a fraction in surprise, as if not expecting such an affirmation.

Ace made a decision. Whoever this kid truly was he deserved a fair shot, just as much as Lu does to live away from persecution. He would do what he could to help Blondie, as long as it didn't endanger his little brother, but first he couldn't just go around calling this kid 'Blondie' all the time. Introductions were in order.

"I'm Ace. The idiot who dragged you here, that's my little brother Luffy." He cautiously let a small sympathetic smile to grace his lips. Small, mind you.

If they could, those eyes widened even more as the kid responded.

"Sabo. My name is Sabo."

A smile could be seen on Sabo's face as well.

Like looking in a mirror.


	5. Planning

-ACE-

Okay, so maybe Ace slightly underestimated how difficult it would truly be to get Sabo out of his predicament.

Well, maybe extremely underestimated is more like it.

The more he thought about it, the more he could see the holes in his planning and logic. After their miniature truce, Sabo and Ace went through possible ideas and strategies, all while trying not to wake Luffy. _God, I can NOT handle that idiot right now_ , he had thought.

There were three main possible courses of action.

Plan number one: probably the shakiest of them all, was to have Sabo wait out an impending inquiry by the Marines and local officials around the island in the forest, and wish for the best. Luckily both of them knew no extremely drastic investigating measures would be taken on such flimsy and unsubstantiated claims made by a mere child, they would first need proof; at least they sincerely hoped that was the case.

Plan number two: Wait it out in the village, but that idea was vetoed early on.

Plan number three: this was the most promising compared to the other two. It would be to help Sabo ‘commandeer’, one of the boats down at the docks so he could get away before any unwanted faces would come to find his person.

Ace estimated that it would take about a day and a half for the Government to put together a good group of Marines to find out the current situation. But he still had to remember that that number was just a mere estimate, the true determining factor would be the notoriety of the blond boy’s father, and as much as he wanted to pry at him to find out who it could possibly be, he knew he had to respect the kid’s secrets; lord only knows he would do the exact same thing if he was in Sabo’s shoes. 

The greatest issue with this entire operation, the one thing that could blow the entire thing out of the water:

Luffy.

The kid wouldn’t know how to keep his mouth shut about something even if that something had a huge slab of meat attached to it. Ace still had to wake, or inform the seven year old about the plan, but he knew he would have to do it soon. He had no doubt that Lu could fulfil his side of the job, but what scared him the most was the real possibility that the kid would let loose about the op to some random person on the street. _Yeah, if I hadn’t pressured him so much, he would have told just about everybody he could that he was The Pirate King’s son the first chance he could get._

Leaving the blond to his own devices for a brief moment, he slipped out of the room silently to check on the brother in question.

Still fast asleep, his face looked so peaceful, although faint red stains still marred his small hands and shirt. Only the small shifting of his closed eyes displayed any movement. In this small moment of tranquility Ace allowed himself to wonder what his little brother was dreaming.

He never would have been able to guess.

-LUFFY-

_It was so cold._

__

_No. Correction, he was cold._

__

_‘Why?’_

__

_He couldn’t move._

__

_Someone was calling his name, but he couldn’t tell who; he felt he should know, yet its disembodied tone gave him no recollection of a face. He tried to call back, but nothing came forth from his lips. It was as if he was there, but not really. Luffy couldn’t make sense of it either way._

__

_The wind and rain were picking up._

__

_Oddly, three strange and distinct feelings could be felt from deep within his chest._

__

_Fear. That was recognizable._

__

_But there was something else. Something much worse. Pain._

__

_Even stranger was that, in a way, Luffy could tell that it wasn’t just his pain._

__

_The voices. Yes, now he could hear more than one, all shouting. Slowly and carefully he cracked open his eyes to see the blurry scene around him. He could just barely make out the distorted figures of four persons. A dark and haunting sound cut through the static, a laugh; that he could hear clear as day._

__

_Suddenly, a truly terrifying noise reached his ears._

__

_One of the silhouettes collapsed to the ground below._

__

_A high pitched scream echoed in the storm. His own._

__

_Finally he had found his voice._

__

_That third feeling was not truly a feeling, but a sensation. One that hit his soul like a blade. He could feel it, that which permeated the air._

__

_Death._  
…  
Luffy shot up from his place on the floor, straight out of his slumber. Letting out ragged breaths and all while focusing on his eerily lucid and vivid dream, he failed to notice Ace rushing to his side, trying to diagnose the cause of his little brother’s panic. _It felt so real, it had to have been_ , he internally mumbled as he tried to piece his frazzled thoughts together. Much to his dismay, yet at the same time relief the details of the dream slowly began to fade as the moments passed by. He tried desperately to grab onto the dwindling threads of the near memory, but to no avail. 

Even though he finally came to the realization that his big brother was trying to get his attention, Luffy let his attention shift solely on finding his hat; said object lay just to his right, letting his shaking arm reach out for it. The usually cheery boy tried to internally rationalize that he shouldn’t be concerned about something that was so obviously a figment of his imagination; now, though he could just faintly still recollect the details, the sense of foreboding still hung fresh in his subconscious mind. 

But he knew he had to focus on something more important than his dream, the dying kid from the forest is what truly mattered. That he could deal with later; Luffy also believed that it wouldn’t be good to tell Ace, _he would probably just call me a cry baby again._

Placing his worn straw hat upon his head, he briefly let it shadow over his eyes making his brother go silent. Whipping his chin up to face Ace he plastered a large toothy grin on and across his features. 

“Don’t worry Ace, it was just a dream!” He declared with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. His big brother gave him an appraising dubious glance that yelled ‘like hell that was just a dream’, but Luffy must have sold it enough because he backed off and beckoned his little brother to follow. Quickly scrambling off the wood panels, he followed right on Ace’s heels into the adjoining room. 

There he came face to face with the blond haired kid he had dragged back through the woods. He looked much better than when he had found him. _Well he was covered in blood, and bleeding out before so yeah, he looks much better_. As the bandaged boy made a move to stand, Luffy absentmindedly wondered if Ace had given the blue eyed one any meat, that would most certainly explain why he was doing so well. At least that’s what he thought. _Oh well, he ain’t dead, and that’s what counts!_

Subtle nod in agreement with self.

Ace glanced between the two and sighed, “Alright, Sabo meet idiot younger brother. Luffy meets Sabo. Okay, good, meet and greet shit’s now done and gone. Luffy, I’m gonna explain this nice and slow so your brain can process it…”

His brother’s voice continued to ramble on about some sort of plan or other, but he focused mainly on the blond as his grin was made genuine.

Though the boy lacked the age and the smile, he had the same air about him that Shanks did; also like with Ace. He knew he made the right choice in saving him. 

It gave him a chance to have something he desperately wanted, smoothing that the red-head and elder brother had given him.

The chance to make a new friend.

-SABO-

After the brief few hours he had known the younger of the two siblings, he could now understand why Ace was concerned about the security of the plans, man was that Luffy kid dense. It had taken more time to explain the whole situation to him than it had trying to put the fricking plans together. Though, even if he had only just met them both a little while prior, he trusted in an odd fashion that Ace wouldn’t double cross him and toss his body to the dogs. Throwing that thought on the back burner, Sabo brought himself back to the present.

After making sure that none of the grumpy ass bandits, which he could scarcely believe those brothers lived with, noticed their absence they began to set the plan into motion. All three waited in anticipation in the alley between several close buildings, hoping the opportune moment would soon present itself. Even though he had been informed by Luffy that the townspeople were nice and wouldn’t mind, he and Ace knew they couldn’t just go up and steal a boat and not have anyone notice. That would be just too risky even a quaint village like this one. 

From this vantage point they could view the harbor and all the people who would pass by. Though it was still early in the morning so the likelihood of someone being out so early was highly unlikely, which is what made it the best time for Sabo’s escape. Luckily there were a few vessels that stayed at the docks year round for inland fishing, so he wouldn’t be stranded without a means of transport. 

Each member of the small ensemble carried a length of metal pipe in case trouble arose; Ace had been generous enough to lend him his spare before they made the trek down the mountain side. 

The moon had long since left the sky and as the last few rays of sunshine rose above the distant horizon line, the young trio saw something that made their collective hearts and blood run cold. _I guess Ace’s calculations were off._

Approaching the island was a group of ships, which were just close enough to make out the distinct sigil on the multiple flags. The very thing that could screw all of them over.

Not merchants.

Not even pirates.

Worse.

Marines.

_We just might need those pipes after all._


End file.
